Chance Rader 3-14-2012

Throughout the past week giving my time for to help serve others, I have also earned many things. These things consist of skills for tasks, friendships, and knowledge. I say friendship because I have gained many friends on this trip, friendships that would have never happened if I had not been a part of this trip. I say that I gained skills because there were things I did on this trip that I probably would not have to do if I were not on this trip. Finally I say that I have gained knowledge because this whole trip has been a learning experience for me.
Throughout this trip I can honestly say that I did take more away from this trip than I put into it. This isn’t because of a lack of work or lack of input, but it’s because the places we worked at over the course of the week have people in charge that want to make a difference in other peoples’ lives. It was the positive and cheerful personalities of these people that made waking up to go to a site every morning worth getting out of bed. These people also did a fantastic job giving someone insight into how much the work you did at their sites contributes to their organization and the people involved with these organizations. I also found out that I like to learn and teach. This is because throughout the week I feel like I was constantly learning something or teaching something to or from Duc Ho and Ryuki Mura. This is not because we do not understand each other but because we were having such a good time at every service site.
Looking back at the time spent on this trip I would have to say that it has been a success.